Secrets of the Crown
By Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson
4.5/5
()
About this ebook
Prepare for the unfamiliar
When every bit of human magic disappears suddenly from Vastia, it falls on the familiars—Aldwyn the telekinetic cat, Skylar the know-it-all blue jay, and Gilbert the gullible tree frog—to find the Crown of the Snow Leopard, an ancient relic that can reverse the curse. They learn that the only way to do this is by following in the paw prints of Aldwyn’s missing father, who went searching for the Crown several years earlier. This magical spirit trail extends into the Beyond, where our heroes encounter new enemies and danger, while Aldwyn learns about his mysterious past.
Full of high-flying adventure and heartwarming friendships, Secrets of the Crown will make readers want to get even more familiar with The Familiars!
Adam Jay Epstein
Adam Jay Epstein spent his childhood in Great Neck, New York, while Andrew Jacobson grew up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but the two met in Los Angeles. They have been writing together for film and television ever since. Their interest in space dates back to their early years, when Adam attended Space Academy in Huntsville, Alabama (and won the Right Stuff Award!), and Andrew went to a movie theater (for the first time) to see a rerelease of Star Wars. Adam Jay Epstein lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Jane, and their daughters, Penny and Olive. Andrew Jacobson, his wife, Ashley, their son, Ryder, their daughter, Willa, and their two dogs live close by.
Read more from Adam Jay Epstein
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Reviews for Secrets of the Crown
45 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5i'll be honest when i read the title and looked at the cover i wasn't that excited about it i thought it was about animals and them saying how horrible humans were but when i read i really loved from the first word I wish that there could be more books like this!
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5This is the 2nd book my daughter and I have read this school year.This is also the 2nd book in the "Familiars" series.The first book set up all the characters and developed their back stories. It also introduced a villain and story arc. This second book develops everything a few steps. The characters are familiar and so the author has been able to show their personalities a bit more vividly. For instance, there is more humor. The relationship between the characters has grown as well. The trust between the members of their group is palpable and is obviously valuable to each. They each have something to contribute and their confidence in their individual abilities strengthens in the face of opposition.The plot is as tight as In the first book. The animals go on a quest to save the world from the evil bunny (I never get tired of saying that!) and to return magic to humans (stolen by aforementioned evil bunny). The animals are directed by an ancient epic poem which shows them the way. They encounter all sorts of other characters and have to find a way to solve each part of the poem puzzle. The thing to remember about this author is that each part, each character, each mystery is interconnected. Sometimes it seems as though you are just having a random encounter - something to fill the pages of an adventure book. However, be warned, each of those bits and pieces will come around again and be an important part of the book. Read with attention for maximum enjoyment!My only complaint is that the ending of the book is a dreadful, painful cliffhanger - I do hate those! Its like book 2 of the LOTR books - just a sort of interstitial between 1 and 3. A great book - tightly and wonderfully written with lots of important things happening - but still, always, it is the book in-between. Overall - a wonderful book with memorable characters and I can't wait to get to book three!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5So much fun. Truly a cross between Harry Potter and Warriors.Admittedly, there are a lot of things that don't always work or just seem very very very unlikely, or that just, y'know, don't make sense. For instance, when the Familiars travel into the Beyond, why do they run into so many familiar faces and people and stuff? I thought no one knew what was in the Beyond.But really, the story is just so much fun that those details aren't really a big deal. A very good fantasy adventure for a younger audience.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I’m so glad this series just keeps getting better! I’ve really enjoyed the first one, but this one is even better!It’s still an adventure, and it’s certainly more focused on Aldwyn and his friends. It’s certainly more focused on Aldwyn and his past, and provides a little more on the background information to make the world building more comprehensible and easy to picture. I’m also glad to see Gilbert still hasn’t lost his touch on being the funny one of the group. I was also surprised that Skylar is still a know it all but she’s not as annoying and has turned out to be more friendly and supportive. I still love Aldwyn and he will always be my favorite. The plot is still just as good, I liked the riddle/puzzle element to it, it’s reminiscent of the Redwall books (they’re always filled with those) but with a much more adventure flavor to it. The thing I like about this is the writing style of the plot. It’s easy to picture, and if possible, could very well be made into an animated feature film. The illustrations provided are also fun to look at and is a great addition for younger aged readers.I’m looking forward to the next book in this series and can’t wait to see what happens to them next! most definitely recommended to Middle Grade readers, but all ages will have fun reading this one. Note:It’s best if you read the first before this one.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The story picks up four weeks after the Familiars leaves off. The Loyals and the Familiars are now being educated in magical defensive arts when there is a flash of green light disenchanting the human Loyals who lose their abilities to cast spells and which leaves the animals as the only magical creatures. As part of a prediction that the animal will now rule, the Familiars must now race to save the humans against the evil intentions of the queen's familiar, Paksahara who has tried to overthrow her in her quest to dominate the humans. The go on a quest to find The Crown of the Snow Leopard and Aldwyn finds his fathers footsteps which they follow. This leaves the Loyals behind fighting for their lives with hand to hand combat.There is a lot of action in this follow up to The Familiars and we find the threesome matching wits and talents against a series of evil creatures such as goblins, a creature that can turn you to crystal by the touch of his tail and Aldwyn's uncle, who clearly is on another path in this quest. When Malvern, Aldwyn's uncle, escapes, there is a big opening for another one in this series and I can't wait to read what happens next. This story will appeal to kids of all ages and especially those a bit too young for Harry Potter. If you enjoyed the Spiderwick Chronicles, you will love this one. I also just read that a move of the first book is going to be made.
Book preview
Secrets of the Crown - Adam Jay Epstein
THE
FAMILIARS
SECRETS of
the CROWN
Adam Jay Epstein
Andrew Jacobson
Art by Peter Chan & Kei Acedera
Dedication
For my dad, my biggest fan and best friend.
For Olive, my daughter, this story is for you.
—A. J. E.
For my mom and dad,
who set the path I follow every day.
—A. J.
Contents
Cover
Title Page
Dedication
Chapter 1 - Tremors
Chapter 2 - A Face in the Glass
Chapter 3 - Wizard Almanacs and Whisper Shells
Chapter 4 - Farewell to Friends
Chapter 5 - Into the Hinterwoods
Chapter 6 - Guardian of the Spheris
Chapter 7 - A Welcome Return
Chapter 8 - Path of the Father
Chapter 9 - Nearhurst Aviary
Chapter 10 - Echoes from the Past
Chapter 11 - Time Stream
Chapter 12 - The Great Spider’s Nest
Chapter 13 - Stalagmos
Chapter 14 - Son of Baxley
Chapter 15 - The Protectors
Chapter 16 - Necro’s Maze
Chapter 17 - Double Hex
Chapter 18 - The Crown of the Snow Leopard
Chapter 19 - Full Moon Rising
About the Authors
Credits
Copyright
About the Publisher
alChapter 1
Tremors
Aldwyn had often wondered what it would feel like to have wings. As the wind blew through his whiskers and his claws dug into the linen collar of Jack’s tunic, he was beginning to get a pretty good idea. Led by Jack’s outstretched wand, loyal and familiar were soaring above the treetops, climbing higher and higher toward the clouds. Back in his Bridgetower days, before he had become the magical animal companion to a boy wizard, Aldwyn used his claws to scale the rooftops and chimneys of some of the city’s tallest buildings. But having his fur graze the needles at the top of the mighty pine trees in the Palace Hills was something different altogether.
We’re about to get wet!
exclaimed Jack.
Aldwyn braced himself as they blasted straight through a puff of white, sending rain pixies scattering in every direction. The tiny cloud fairies sprayed water with every flap of their wings, drenching the black-and-white cat’s fur within seconds.
Guess we won’t be needing baths tonight,
he shouted at Jack.
Bursting through the cloud right behind them was Jack’s older sister, Marianne, gripping a wand of her own.
Not bad,
she called out, for a beginner.
She flicked her wrist and made an upside-down loop in the air before coming up alongside her brother. Gilbert’s bulging orange eyes peeked out over the edge of Marianne’s shirt pocket, his webbed hands clutching on for dear life.
Was that really necessary?
croaked the tree frog in a panic.
Jack used his free hand to brush the dirty blond hair out of his eyes, revealing a determined look beneath.
Come on, sis,
he hollered as if he had something to prove. I’ll race you back to the manor steps.
The young wizard siblings darted downward. Aldwyn felt his stomach do a little somersault as they hurtled through the air at an alarming speed. Dipping below the clouds once more, the grandness of the Vastian countryside opened up below them. Nearby, Aldwyn could make out Sorceress Edna’s Black Ivy Manor, a regal estate surrounded by hedge walls and rose gardens. Beyond the manor was an invisible dam that held back the heavy waters of a mountain river. Through the enchanted barrier’s sheer surface, fish could be seen swimming, as if a giant aquarium had been built into the side of the rocky peaks. At the base of the dam lay the grazing fields of Edna’s fabled short-horned steers, whose silver-hued hides were tough enough to resist even a dragon’s fiery breath. Farther down the hill was Bronzhaven, with Queen Loranella’s palace rising into the sky at its center, surrounded by the floating torches that hovered just above the castle walls.
Marianne had jumped ahead to an early lead, but Jack was quickly catching up. The two raced past Dalton and Skylar, who were practicing precise hairpin turns around floating wooden cones. Dalton, the eldest—at fourteen and a half—and maturest of the children, called out: Sorceress Edna instructed us to work on mid-flight reversals!
Slow down,
added Skylar. You’re not competing on the Warlock Trail, you know.
But neither Jack nor Marianne paid the boy or his blue jay familiar any attention. They were too focused on outpacing each other.
Woo-hoo!
shouted Jack, as he pulled in front of his sister by a wand’s length.
As they skimmed lower, they approached the living topiaries that guarded the outside of Black Ivy Manor. These enchanted shrubs had been sculpted less than a month ago to protect the teaching grounds, a precaution of great import now that Sorceress Edna had taken over the training of Kalstaff’s three pupils and their familiars. The topiaries had been shaped like archers holding thorny bows at the ready. They swung their weapons from left to right, preparing to fire upon any unwelcome intruders.
Shortcut through those columns,
suggested Aldwyn from over Jack’s shoulder.
Jack nodded, then barrel-rolled between two marble pillars on the edge of the estate’s reflecting pool. The maneuver increased his and Aldwyn’s lead over Marianne and Gilbert and seemed to make their victory to the steps inevitable. That is, until Marianne invoked: Creeping vine, possum tail, make Jack move, like a snail!
Suddenly, it felt to Aldwyn as if the air around him had gotten thick and gooey like molasses. He and Jack found themselves slowed to a near crawl. Marianne zipped past them and landed on the outdoor stairs leading to the manor’s back door. Gilbert immediately jumped from her pocket and began kissing the ground.
Ah, the sweet taste of gravel,
said the tree frog, pressing his lips to the earth.
Gilbert, aren’t you being a little dramatic?
asked Marianne.
No fair,
cried Jack, still inching forward in slow motion. You cheated.
You could have countered the spell,
replied Marianne. I don’t remember anyone making a rule about no castings.
Jack’s feet finally touched down, and Aldwyn leaped off his back. Marianne walked over to her little brother and gave his hair a ruffle.
Next time,
she said with a wink as Dalton and Skylar landed beside her.
Thanks for the pointers, Sky. I think I’m finally mastering those turns,
said Dalton to his winged familiar.
Just remember, birds always keep their eyes on the horizon. I’d recommend the same for you.
As the familiars and their loyals continued their friendly banter, Sorceress Edna rose from her chair beneath the shade of a canopy and came toward them. She was a plump, middle-aged woman with hair dyed black and a pair of oversize spectacles. Her familiar, a mink named Stolix, was wrapped around her neck. Edna took short little steps like a penguin, sending splashes of blueberry tea from the top of her porcelain cup. And though her appearance would suggest otherwise, she was a formidable magician indeed.
Sloppy, sloppy, sloppy,
she said in a highpitched, nasal voice. "At this age, your wand flight should be much more advanced. Tonight I want all of you to reread Crady’s Book of Aerial Wizardry cover to cover."
Jack groaned. But you said we could—
Another word out of you, young man,
warned Edna, and Stolix will put you in muscle stasis.
Yes, ma’am,
said Jack apologetically.
Stolix snapped her head to attention and exhaled what looked like steamy breath on a cold day. The vapors traveled straight for Jack’s nostrils, disappearing into his nose and tightening his muscles into a temporary paralyzed state.
Stolix!
scolded Edna. What in Vastia did you do that for?
You said ‘another word,’
replied the mink. Aldwyn knew that Stolix was a powerful and dedicated familiar, but she definitely wasn’t the brightest. Edna shook her head.
Despite Jack’s pained expression, Aldwyn knew his loyal would be back to his old self in no time. In the few short weeks of their tutelage here, all of the loyals and familiars, except for Skylar of course, had experienced Stolix’s punishment. Just yesterday, Aldwyn had been immobilized after accidentally knocking over one of Edna’s prized crystal dining glasses while playing telekinetic catch in the house. And while the sensation of having every muscle in your body tighten, even for only thirty seconds, was excruciatingly unpleasant, fortunately the spell did no permanent damage.
With as little warning as they had come, the vapors that had slithered up Jack’s nostrils wafted out of them, and the boy’s body relaxed again. He clenched his fists and shook it off.
You’ll have to forgive Stolix,
said Edna. She has become a bit pea-brained in her old age. Anyway, better get your wits back about you.
She turned her attention to the group. Now, for the next part of your wand flight training, I’ll be adding a new challenge. The skies won’t be yours alone. You need to be able to face danger in the air as easily as you do on the ground. Especially if you wish to have any chance of defeating Paksahara.
Paksahara. The name gave Aldwyn the chills. It had been four weeks since he, Gilbert, and Skylar had faced Queen Loranella’s traitorous familiar in the dungeon of the Sunken Palace. The shape-shifting hare had come very close to killing both the loyals and the familiars, and had it not been for Aldwyn’s fortuitous discovery of his telekinetic abilities, she would have done just that. But even though the familiars had prevailed, Paksahara had managed to escape, and nothing had been heard from her since. Aldwyn could only imagine what new evils she had been plotting.
And familiars, your assistance will be helpful, too,
added Edna.
Although Queen Loranella had told Edna that Aldwyn, Skylar, and Gilbert were the Prophesized Three, the plump sorceress didn’t seem to believe it. She still held to the old belief that familiars were second rate in their abilities compared to human wizards. Aldwyn couldn’t really blame her; he himself still had trouble believing that he, a former alley cat who never dreamed he had even a whisker of magic, was destined to save all of Vastia. Aldwyn was just happy to know that the next time he and his fellow familiars faced Paksahara, they wouldn’t be alone: Jack, Marianne, and Dalton would be beside them to protect them with their years of wizard training and magical prowess.
Sorceress Edna dumped her tea on the ground and magically reshaped her cup into a porcelain piccolo. She brought the instrument to her lips and blew a melodic call. The sound echoed in the air.
You’ll have five minutes to cage them,
said Edna. How you do it is up to you.
Cage what?
asked Jack.
That’s when Aldwyn felt the air begin to vibrate. There was only one creature that could make the atmosphere rumble with such force.
Tremor hawks,
said Marianne with a bit of caution.
Just be thankful I didn’t call the winged rhinos,
said Edna. Off you go. Time’s a-wasting.
Already a flock of the brown-feathered predator birds had emerged from the clouds. They beat their wings, leaving fissures of darkness in their wake like black veins across the blue sky. Dalton whipped out his wand and flew upward, with Skylar flapping beside him.
I’ll stay down here and man the—
Gilbert started to say, but before he could finish, Marianne scooped him up and shoved him into her pocket.
Aldwyn jumped onto Jack’s back and hooked his claws into the already worn fabric of his loyal’s tunic.
Sister and brother took to the air, led by their wands. Aldwyn felt a surge of excitement as they accelerated and rose higher. He looked ahead at Skylar, then at Gilbert, his two best friends, who had accompanied him on his incredible quest across Vastia. One was a blue jay with the talent of casting illusions, the other a tree frog who could see visions in puddles of water. Well, sometimes he could, anyway. Together, the three familiars had faced insurmountable odds and lived to tell the tale. And here they all were at it again, in the thick of danger, tremor hawks circling around them.
"Trussilium bindus, incanted Dalton. A silver rope materialized in his free hand, and he threw the coiled end around the neck of one of the hawks, lassoing it.
Got one! Marianne, conjure a glider cage."
Giant clover, poison sage—
she chanted, but the spell remained half cast as Dalton was pulled into her by the angry bird trying to break free from his capture. The impact of the blow sent Marianne spinning downward. Aldwyn watched as she struggled to regain control. She was heading straight for the granite garden deck when an ethereal hand grabbed her in midair and tossed her back into the sky.
Concentrate,
called out Edna, whose spell had saved the wizard in training. I won’t always be here to catch you!
Jack was quick to pick up where Marianne had left off.
Giant clover, poison sage, trap that hawk, inside a cage,
he shouted.
A golden bird cage formed in the sky. Its door swung open and Dalton was able to steer the thrashing tremor hawk inside.
Good,
shouted Edna from below. Work together.
Two of the avian predators screamed toward Jack and Aldwyn, the shock waves nearly knocking Aldwyn off his loyal’s back. Then from the clouds dove a northern fire-breather dragon, its copper wings shining in the sun. The pair of hawks immediately cowered, allowing Dalton the chance to rope two more.
Aldwyn knew enough not to be afraid of the dragon, because when he looked over to Dalton, he could see Skylar’s wing trembling. It was one of her illusions. They had been getting more and more lifelike with every attempt.
Marianne summoned two more golden cages, and Dalton guided the ensnared hawks into their aerial prisons.
Now three tremor hawks remained, each sending skyquakes through the air.
Aldwyn, reach into my pouch and pass me some blinding dust,
Jack instructed his familiar.
Aldwyn grabbed Jack’s pouch in his teeth and was about to open it when a burst of green light flashed over the eastern horizon. For a blink, everything around them took on an emerald hue, as if it were reflected in an algae-covered pond. Suddenly all three children were in freefall.
My wand’s not working,
cried Jack.
Neither is mine,
said Marianne.
"Gustavius rescutium," incanted Dalton, and Aldwyn could detect a hint of panic in his voice.
It was a simple wind gust spell. One that Aldwyn had heard him cast a hundred times. But nothing happened.
Then, suddenly, the cages that had held the tremor hawks disappeared, allowing the dangerous birds to go free once more.
Aldwyn watched as Sorceress Edna waved her arms frantically on the ground, but there was no ethereal helping hand to save them this time.
As the wizards and their familiars continued to plunge downward, gathering momentum with every second, Gilbert tumbled out of Marianne’s pocket.
Gilbert!
Marianne reached out to grab him just as a tremor hawk tried to snatch him out of the air with its beak. Fortunately, the bird mistimed its attack, and Gilbert landed on the hawk’s back, clutching its feathers in his webbed hands.
Ahhhhhhh,
he shrieked.
Skylar seemed terrified as well, but if she was screaming, it must have been on the inside. She grabbed at Dalton’s shirt with her talons, trying in vain to slow his descent. Fortunately, her loyal was heading straight for the black ivy–covered hedge wall, which would spare him from a bone-shattering impact. Marianne looked to be headed for a safe landing, too, as she was tumbling toward the reflecting pool. Jack and Aldwyn didn’t appear to be so lucky; they were on a collision course with the barren ground. Thinking fast, Aldwyn concentrated as best he could, given that he was hurtling toward his death, and focused on the nearby garden canopy.
alMove, move, move, Aldwyn repeated in his head. He wasn’t exactly an expert in this whole telekinesis thing yet. He had only recently discovered that he was a Maidenmere cat, one of the legendary black-and-white felines who had the power to move things with their minds. And while each day for the last four weeks he had continued to hone the skills borne out of this revelation, he wasn’t in full control of his magical abilities yet.
At the very last second, Aldwyn managed to make the entire canopy and the frame beneath it drag across the dirt, and he and Jack landed safely on the cloth top. The frame collapsed beneath their weight, and boy and cat rolled to the ground. A nearby splash signaled that Marianne had had her own fall softened by the reflecting pool. And Dalton was climbing out of the shrubs with nothing more than a few cuts and bruises. In the distance, Aldwyn could hear the faint sound of Gilbert screaming from the tremor hawk’s back.
What has happened to my magic?
wondered Sorceress Edna, who was hurrying, or rather waddling, toward them.
There was no time to ponder the question, as the tremors were growing stronger. All six hawks were in attack formation now, and they were flying lower, heading straight for the manor, with Gilbert flailing atop the one leading the way. The day’s exercise of capturing and releasing these normally reclusive creatures of the sky would have been routine—a simple and safe class lesson. But given the fact that the human wizards had suddenly been rendered powerless, the enraged birds had become deadly foes.
As the sky-shaking predators swooped down over the reflecting pool, the columns that lined its sides began to vibrate, cracking from the base to the top. The fissures of dark energy left in the hawks’ wake finished the job, toppling large chunks of the pillars into the water. Marianne had to dive beneath the pool’s surface to avoid the crumbling debris.
The bone-rattling birds flew over the group’s heads, and Aldwyn could see Gilbert still clinging to the neck feathers of the lead hawk.
Somebody get me off of here!
Gilbert shrieked.
Without the ability to cast spells, we’re powerless to stop them,
said Sorceress Edna.
We might be,
said Jack. But Aldwyn’s not. His telekinesis moved the canopy.
Yes,
Edna concurred. "It appears whatever curse has affected us human wizards has no hold over the